What Do I Read Next?: Holiday Edition

If you haven't shared a holiday titles for CORA Diversity Roll Call, please do or share them here. In the meantime, check out these holiday titles:

A Wish For Wings That Work by Berkeley Breathed recommended by su magoo.


Elijah's Angel by Michael Rosen. I wrote about this at Black-Eyed Susan's for CORA Diversity Roll Call.
It's a story about friendship and culture. It's about holidays and sharing. For me and my girls, it was also an introduction to folk art.

The Very Special Baby by Carol Woodward. Zetta posted slide show of this out of print title for Diversity Roll Call.
I wanted to share my favorite Xmas picture book. My mother bought The Very Special Baby to share with us (and her kindergarten class); it was published in 1968 but is now out of print.

The 12 Days of Christmas: A Pop-Up Celebration by Robert Sabuda. This is another family book I've shared with my girls


I haven't read but I did pick up the following titles for Ramadan:

The White Nights of Ramadan by Maha Addasi
A Party in Ramadan by Asma Mobin-Uddin

Hanukkah:
On Hanukkah by Cathy Goldberg Fishman

Chinese New Year:
Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragons by Nina Simonds & Leslie Swartz

Winter Solstice:
The Shortest Day: Celebrating The Winter Solstice by Wendy Pferrer

What Do I Read Next?: Halloween Week

We thought for Halloween we'd take a walk on the dark side. Here's to paranormal, scary and magic. I've asked Doret and Ari to share their recommendations.

Ari:
Eternal by Cynthia Leitich Smith.
My favorite vampire story of all time. And it has guardian angels! Sounds like an unlikely mix, but Cynthia makes it work extremely well! I loved this book and it was a bit life-changing because it brings up some interesting issues about heaven, angels, vampires and who can and can't be saved.

Asleep by Wendy Raven McNair
Superheroes aren't scary but I really liked this book so I want to recommend it anyway (after all we dress up as superheroes for Halloween so it's appropriate). Asleep is a wonderful story that I first thought of as the 'Black Twilight' but as I continued reading I realized it was so much more than that (although it does need a bit better editing, it's self-published). The love story is sweet and the world of superheroes is a very interesting one that you'll want to learn more about (something I found interesting is that all superheroes got their origins from Africa and it's got some of the most powerful superheroes). The ending? Total cliff-hanger!

Doret:
Has a Halloween list at HappyNappy Bookseller. I'll highlight two here.

Ruined by Paula Morris
Rebecca Brown and her dad have always lived in NYC. Mr. Brown, travels on occasion for work. This time he will be gone too long for a neighbor to watch Rebecca. Rebecca is headed to New Orleans to live with a woman she has only meet once, Claudia and her twelve year old daughter, Aurelia. In order to get into the exclusive academy for her sophomore year, Rebecca must pretend she is Claudia's niece. Rebecca gets along very well with Aunt Claudia and Aurelia. Which is good since they live in a shotgun house and there isn't much room. Read full review at The Happy Nappy Bookseller.

Rogelia's House of Magic by Jamie Martinez Wood
15-yr-old Marina and Fern have been best friends since second grade. Marina's mom has taught her daughter to only cherish her Spainish roots and dismiss her Mexican Heritage. Marina's is embarrassed she can't speak spanish. Fern's loves nature and is involved in a cause to preserve the land . Fern love the barrio she live in, the same one Marina's mom looks down upon. While picking up an astrological chart for her mom, Marina and Fern also get a spell book for teens. See full review here.

My picks:
Magic or Madness by Justine Larbalestier. Justine rocks. MOM was my first read by Justine and I loved it.
The first in a series, Magic or Madness is the story of a teen named Reason. Reason has been raised to embrace only the logical, to be independent, resilient and at all costs not end up in the care of her grandmother, Mere, an evil witch. Life with her mother, Sarafina has been a nomad’s experience but they are close and at fifteen, the threat of being taken by her grandmother is coming to an end or so Reason believed. Then Sarafina suffers a breakdown and Reason is sent to live with the woman she has been warned against her entire life, and she discovers that magic is real. Read full review at Black-Eyed Susan's.

Pemba's Song by Marilyn Nelson and Tonya Hegamin.
This has been on my tbr for awhile. Now that I've read both Ari's and Doret's reviews, I have to push this up. Wonder if I'll have an entirely different view.

Anything sound interesting? What's your picks? Leave us your recommendations.

What Do I Read Next?: Shout Out to Muchacho

To close out our month long celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, we're focusing on the guys. Here are four title from two prolific reviewers, Doret from Happy Nappy Bookseller and Ari from Reading in Color. Comment and recommend.

Ari:
Marcelo In The Real World by Francisco X. Stork. There’s so much you can say about this amazing, wonderful, beautiful, tremendous, stupendous novel, but at the same time I don’t feel that I can adequately express how much impact this novel had on me. It blew me away. It’s so powerful. It’s ultimately about the loss of innocence and how we can fight injustice. It also made me think about why God allows suffering? Read full review here.

Gringolandia by Lyn Miller-Lachmann.
One of the things that drew me to this story (besides the fact that I wanted to learn more about Pinochet and Chile) was what life is like after torture. Many fictional books about activists, skip the details of the torture or their characters miraculously escape that fate. Gringolandia offers a very detailed, no-holds barred look not just at what happens to a person after they've been tortured but the effect on family members. Daniel's father (Marcelo) has been imprisoned for six years (arrested in 1980 and released in 1986). See full review here.

Doret:

Mexican White Boy by Matt De la Pena
Baseball is a small part of this book. Its more so about Danny coming to terms with who he is and who is dad was. In Danny's actions and few chosen words, I could see how much he missed having his dad around. Throughout the book Danny writes his dad letters about what's going on in this life in hopes that maybe one will make him come back. Everything Danny writes is a colorful untruth, instead of running a summer hustle with Uno, Danny's an ace for a traveling team. It isn't until the end that Danny learns the truth and there is no way his dad can come back. See review here.

Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez.
When 11yr old Tyler Paquette returns home to the family farm, he discovers his parents have hired Mexican workers. Before Tyler went to visit family in Boston, is father had a farming accident. Tyler's parents crunched the numbers, the only way they could afford to keep the farm was to hire undocumented Mexican workers. They hired three brothers. See review here.

Whatcha think? What would you like to see next?

What Do I Read Next?: Williams Garcia & Smith

Last week some of you asked for reading suggestions on bullying. Here's a short list of what we recommend. Tell us about your experience with bullies or how you've talked to students and your children about bullying. Please add your recommendations.


Doret:
Standing Against the Wind by Traci L. Jones. Patrice Williams is the new girl at her Chicago middle school. Patrice is teased by everyone at school because she has a lot of hair. Everyone calls her Puffy. I think many girls will be able to relate to this opening passage:

"Just two more blocks," she whispered to herself as she stood waiting for the light. During the bitterly cold days of winter, the thirteen-year-old had gotten into the habit of counting the blocks until she was safe at home- safe from the freezing cold, wind safe from the nasty comments made by girls who had cut school and were always hanging out in front of the local drugstore, safe from the gang of boys who had all but quit school and who hung out in the broken down playground in front of her building.They all seemed to have something mean to say about her.

Reading this, I could almost feel Patrice's self-esteem slipping away. Having to race home with your head down is an awful feeling. The author focuses more on how the boys mistreat Patrice. Girls everywhere, who are still growing into their bodies must deal with boys who think it's their right to call the girls out of their name. Yet there aren't many YA books that deal with this topic. There is much to be discussed, learned and enjoyed from Standing Against the Wind. Traci L. Smith was awarded the John Steptoe Award for new talent for this book.

Susan:
Jumped by Rita Williams Garcia. I'm a Williams fan so I was very pleased when I got my hands on her latest work. After reading this, I was compelled to write a review. Warning, I was also long-winded in my examination about this work about girl on girl violence.
Rita Williams-Garcia’s latest book, Jumped is raw. I suppose I could be eloquent but the truth is, for me, raw best describes the tension and the fear I clung to the entire read. I wrote earlier on my blog that the story of three teens linked through a single event possesses all of the intensity of a “24” episode without cars and building exploding and Jack’s questionable tactics. A better analogy might be the movie “Cloverfield,” the intensity is ratcheted up because Jumped plays out like a movie shot with a single lens camera carried by an anonymous cameraman who records the events as they happen, unscripted and unedited. No commercials. No romantic scenes. No happy endings. See my review here.

Other titles we recommend:

Dark Dude by Oscar Hijuelos. Rico is a light-skinned Cuban who is bullied by Blacks and Latinos. Hijuelos won the Pulitzer Prize for Mambo Kings. This is his first Young adult novel.

The Absolute Diary of A Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie. See Ari's review at Reading In Color.

The Skin I'm In by Sharon G. Flake. This title is available for loan. Ms. Flake is hugely popular in our library. I love the cover and many readers identify with the MC. I really enjoy Ms. Flakes' style. I've read her before and this novel delivers an authentic voice and realistic scenarios. Meelaka Madison is a social outcast (she's very dark-skinned) who is desperate to fit in at her middle school. Read more here.

If A Tree Falls at Lunch Period by Gennifer Choldenko.(Susan) This was my surprise read for the year. The focus is not bullying but the author does a fantastic job showing how kids will tolerate bullying just to fit in.








What books would you recommend to teachers and students on the topic of bullying and violence in schools? Does this list help? Have you read any of these?

What topics or themes would you like us to address next week?

Until next time, happy reading.

What Do I Read Next? Friends Matter

Susan and I are still waiting on requests, until then we are happy to give suggestions. Today we're talking about friends. One of the great things about reading novels featuring friends is a reader can find a piece of themselves in one or all the characters. It's also a pleasure to watch the friendships develop. We recommend the following list of YA books featuring groups of friends:

Skunk Girl by Sheba Karim. I really enjoyed this novel. I believe this is the only book on this list where friendship isn't obvious from the summary. The author does an excellent job of developing Bridget and Helena, the best friends of the main character Nina. I absolutely loved the easy banter and diversity of the lunch scenes that included the best friends' boy friends.

Its Chicks by Tia Williams. If you're looking for a fun, laugh out loud read, filled with a little drama I highly recommend this series. See feature on Tia Williams at The Brown Bookshelf.

Who's Your Daddy? by Lynda Sandoval

Chicks Ahoy by Lynda Sandoval. I haven't read either of the Sandval titles (yet) but they both look like fun.


Chameleon by Charles R Smith Jr. This is one of the most overlooked titles of '08. It's a great book. Readers get to know four friends. Its '80s Compton, the summer before the boys will go to high school. Read review at Happy Nappy Bookseller.

Temptress of Four by Gaby Triana

Rogelia's House of Magic by Jamie Martinez Wood






So Not the Drama by Paula Chase - Fans of Harrison's Clique series my find a new series to love. You can read Ari's review at Reading In Color.

Mexican White Boy by Matt de la Pena. I loved this book. The author took the time to develop the friendships between the main characters.


Girls Stay in the Picture by Melissa de la Cruz. I love this cover.


Lip Gloss Chronicles by Shelia M. Goss. Check out the feature at the Brown Bookshelf.


If after you reading this list, your first thought is,"What about this?" or "I can't believe you forgot that?," please add the forgotten or unknown title to the comment box. If something looks interesting, please tell us what is and why.

Did this work for? What should we talk about next week? We need your feedback. Thanks.

Shades of Love. This symbol and tag will be used to help you readily identify posts focused on children and YA literature. We're going to do our best to consistently use this and other markers to help you navigate here at Color Online. Click on the tag to find more Shades of Love titles.

What Do I Read Next? If You Come Softly

Last week we talked about how to recommend POC works to non-poc readers. Out of that discussion, we decided to make "What Do I Read Next?" a regular feature. Each week Doret and I will recommend a title or a list based on a particular genre or themes. But for this to really work, we need your requests. Tell us what kind of books you enjoy or what themes you'd like to explore written by or about POC.

This week's pick is If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson. This work is about first love. It also addresses race, tolerance and loss. A few Color Online readers have read this work for our Color Me Brown Challenge. I especially like Lu's review. And Jill cites the perfect passage that encapsulates the novel:

Miah: Let’s say it’s rain – the people who got problems with us being together – let’s call them and their problems rain.

Ellie nodded. “Okay, they’re rain.” She smiled. “So now what?”

Miah: “So it’s not always raining, is it? But when it’s not raining, we know the rain isn’t gone forever.”

Ellie sighed. “Well a drought would be a beautiful thing.”

Tags: teen romance, race, loss, interracial, coming-of-age, YA, African-American writers, multicultural lit.

You might also like: Skunk Girl by Sheba Karim, Does My Head Look Big In This? by Randa Fattah-Abdel.
The central theme in these works is not romance. Both novels however look at the conflict teens from different race/ethnic groups have to face when they are attracted to each other.

August: Color Me Brown Book Challenge

CONGRATULATIONS, WINNERS: Rhapsody at Rhapsodyinbooks, Allison at Read Into This!, Erika at Made by Momma , Doret at Happy Nappy Bookseller and Liz at A Chair, Fireplace & ATea Cozy.

Originally, I said we'd have 3 winners but with 121 links, I increased it to 5. Thank you all for incredible participation. As I promised, there is more. Every Monday, begining September 7th, I will feature 5 links to CMB reviews I find across the blogosphere. Once a month, I'll select reviewer among these links to receive a free book from our Prize Bucket. You won't have to link back to us. You don't have to do anything except what you already are: reading and reviewing books that reflect the diversity of our world. To spread the loot, a reviewer can only win once a year for CMB. Of course, there are so many other ways to win free books here.

Thanks again to all of you for making this challenge a huge success.



Read and review POC books through the month of August. We'll have a random drawing for 3 reviewers at the end of the challenge. Drop us a link to your review to be eligible. +3 entries for any sidebar link/tweet or blog post about this challenge. Contest limited to US residents.

If you want books, here are some options:

1) Request your library buy it. Many will when a patron asks. I have a wonderful library system and every request has been purchased.

2) Look for dated POC on trade sites like Paperbackswap.com I understand folks can't buy every book they want to read. I know I can't.

3) Contact the author directly. Many will send you a copy. They don't have endless stashes but believe me they love being asked for books for review.

4) Send me a review of book by POC writer. Every month I do a drawing for a free book for reviews we publish.

5) Color Online runs trivia quizzes. Same deal. Enter the drawing win a book. And winners pick their prizes from our Prize Bucket.

6) Book Loan Program at Color Online. For all active members at Color Online, I will loan you a book. Just pay for return shipping. I run a library with more than 3000 books. Our collection is 90% women 80% POC. You can see a partial list of our collection here. Let me confess, cataloguing online has not been my priority. If you don't see a title, ask. I'll be happy to see if we own it. *You must be an active member. If you need clarification, write me.

I want books in readers' hands. If you commit to read and review, I'll send you the book.I think I have effectively addressed the access issue.

Read brown, people.

Please post book titles in your links.

What Do I Read Next: The Other Side of Paradise

The Other Side of Paradise
Staceyann Chin
Scribner Books
2009

Publisher's Comments
No one knew Staceyann's mother was pregnant until a dangerously small baby was born on the floor of her grandmother's house in Lottery, Jamaica, on Christmas Day. Staceyann's mother did not want her, and her father was not present. No one, except her grandmother, thought Staceyann would survive.


Sewing Circle-Leave a comment or send us a review. If we publish your review, your name will be entered in a monthly drawing to win a book from our Prize Bucket.

If you want us to feature a book, send us your recommendation. Send recommendations, reviews and questions to cora_litgroup@yahoo.com

What Do I Read Next?: New Moon's Arms

New Moon's Arms
Nalo Hopkinson
2007

If the beginning of menstruation can be magic, I began to think about what it might be like if there were out-of-control psychic phenomena similarly associated with the ending of menstruation. Magical menopause! Enter my protagonist, who's 53 years old and going through the Change of life, but with some changes peculiarly her own~ Nalo Hopkinson

Sewing Circle-These are not reviews but profiles. Leave a comment or send us a review. If we publish your review, your name will be entered in a monthly drawing to win a book from our Prize Bucket.

If you want us to feature a book, send us your recommendation. Send recommendations, reviews and questions to cora_litgroup@yahoo.com

What Do I Read Next? Kinky Gazpacho

Kinky Gazpacho
Lori L. Tharps
Atria books
2008
From a young age, Tharps became infatuated with Spain; knowing that Spain was her destiny and that she would someday live there. While in college, she traveled to Morocco with the American Field Service, but later studied abroad in Spain, where she came face to face with the culture she never knew Spain to have.
~Holly Ord, guest reviewer at Womanist Musings


Sewing Circle-These are not reviews but profiles. Leave a comment or send us a review. If we publish your review, your name will be entered in a monthly drawing to win a book from our Prize Bucket.

If you want us to feature a book, send us your recommendation. Send recommendations, reviews and questions to cora_litgroup@yahoo.com